Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes:— the vital role the beef sector plays in the agrifood industry generating €2 billion a year to the economy;

— that some 100,000 farms across the country produce beef, helping to make Ireland the fifth highest beef exporter in the world and forming a core part of the 150,000 people employed in the agrifood industry in Ireland;

— that the Food Harvest 2020 report and Beef 2020 Activation Group set ambitious targets to increase beef output by 40%, worth an additional €550 million to the economy; and

— that the annual Teagasc income report recorded grave disparities in farm incomes, with dry stock farmers falling seriously behind their counterparts; cattle-rearing farms saw incomes decline by 22% to €9,469 due to higher production costs associated with severe fodder shortages early last year;further notes that:— over the past 12 months there has been a collapse in bull beef prices; prices have fallen from 15% to 20%, with producers being forced to accept losses of up to €200 to €300 per head, pushing under-pressure farmers over the edge;

— factories have abused the quality payment system and shifted specification requirements in order to drive down farm gate prices;

— labelling issues have been used to create artificial trade barriers and deny Irish beef access to the British market with cattle finished in Northern Ireland refused their traditional labelling status;

— processors have created unwarranted delays in slaughtering cattle that is further driving down price; and

— Russia has arbitrarily banned offal meat eliminating the €7 million export market;condemns the:— failure of the Government to take decisive action on this long-running crisis in the beef industry; and

— cynical use of Beef Forum discussions as mere talking shops to distract from Government inaction; andcalls on the Government to:— establish an independent beef regulator;

— move forward with legislation to recognise beef producer organisations;

— convene a meeting with their Northern Ireland and British counterparts to set out a strategy to overcome outstanding labelling issues;

— ensure that there are no barriers to the transport of live cattle to Britain directly from this State; and

— implement in full the recommendations of the Dowling report.

I wish to share time with Deputies Dara Calleary, Seamus Kirk and John Browne.

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